Safety In Your Arms
by huyandhieu
Summary: Carlos is getting beaten up to the point of unconsciousness when someone saves him. Will said person be able to save Carlos from the loneliness and darkness that has haunted him for years? Cargan love story. T for language and violence. Please r/r :
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! I just had an idea for another story and I wanted to get it down before I forgot. I promise I'm working on the other ones! This is darker than what I usually write, so let me know what you think! And if you're reading my stories for the first time, check out my other ones and review! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say :)

* * *

"What's the matter, fag? Can't get up?"

The taunting voice cut through the chorus of judgmental voices and discriminating stares. Carlos clenched his stomach, writhing in pain on the cold tile of the hallway. His right eye was starting to discolor and cuts were slashed all over his body like a mural. His clothes were tattered and the contents of his backpack were scattered all around him.

Another sharp pain shot through his stomach as he felt the toe of a shoe jab his midsection again. Laughter tolled through the halls like funeral bells. A pained and frustrated tear slowly rolled down his cheek as the combination of physical pain and outright hatred towards him began to crack and chip away his mask.

"Oh look, now he's crying!" jeered the same voice, "James, look! Come on fag! Cry like a bitch for me!"

_Why are they doing this to me? What have I ever done?_

Carlos felt pressure on his throat as he was being lifted up from the ground. Every nerve in his body screamed as his feet left the ground and his back was slammed against the wall. The vice-like grip on his throat tightened and crushed his windpipe. His hands left his stomach and clawed at the fingers slowly murdering him, desperate for a gasp of air.

One lifeless brown eye met a pair of malicious emerald ones. A cruel smirk, crawled its way on the blonde-haired face as hatred and disgust battered the soul of the suffocating teen.

To his horror, a hand snaked its way up Carlos, thigh and clenched strongly on his groin.

"You like this, don't you?" his voice dripping with malice, "You want me to fuck you."

The crowd roared with laughter at the Latino's humiliation.

Tears began to stream down his face as the world around him began to blur. The laughter stabbed at his heart and the jeering tore through his mind like a tornado, leaving nothing but broken pieces of self-esteem in its wake.

Carlos felt his grip loosen from the blonde's fingers and his struggling cease. His ears began to ring and his vision began to turn black.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" a voice demanded from the crowd.

Frightened, the blonde suffocating Carlos released his grip and dropped the Latino to the ground.

Before he completely lost consciousness, Carlos saw a spiky-haired brunette step forward from the crowd, giving his assailant a challenging glare.

* * *

Carlos couldn't move. He couldn't open his eyes. He didn't even have the energy to think. Every once in a while voices and sounds would reach him from the deep recesses of his unconscious.

"Kendall! What did you do?"

"I didn-"

The sound of fists meeting skin.

Nothing.

Footsteps retreating.

A door slammed.

Nothing.

A siren.

Nothing.

His mind completely shut down.

* * *

_Beep Beep Beep_

Hushed voices could be heard whispering.

"-s your name?"

"Logan, is he going to be okay?"

"Your friend has undergone a lot of damage, and from all the old scars, it seems as if this has been going on for a while. He has a few cracked ribs and he might have a concussion. Where's his parents?"

"I don't know, I've only met him on a few occasions. Can I please stay? He shouldn't have to be alone."

A silence only broken by the steady beeps from a machine hung in the air.

"You can stay until his family is here."

A door opened and shut. Then footsteps retreated from the room.

Then, nothing.

* * *

His head was pounding, and his neck was sore. Carlos cracked open his one good eye slowly. He was in a hospital room, lying down on a bed. The room was dimly lit from a small lamp off to his side. A machine was hooked up next to his head beeping steadily to his heart rate. Carlos groaned and tried to prop himself up, but gasped sharply as pain shot through his ribs. He fell back down and cursed inwardly.

"Hey, you're awake!" A soft, groggy voice came from across the room.

Carlos turned his head to see the spiky brunette he saw before he blacked out. The boy was sitting in a chair with a jacket draped over his body. The chair next to him held a backpack and higher-level textbooks. The brunette rubbed his eyes, got up, and walked over to Carlos' bed. He gave Carlos a gentle smile mixed with relief and concern.

_Did he save me?_

"I'm Logan," he said quickly, "Um... How are you feeling?"

Carlos opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a dry cough. Alarm filled Logan's eyes and he quickly ran over to a small table. He returned and pushed the button to prop Carlos' bed up to a reclining position. He handed Carlos a cup of water.

"Here, drink this." Logan said with concern.

Carlos took the cup and drained it of its contents. The brunette took the cup from Carlos when he was done and placed it on the stand next to him.

"Thank you..." Carlos croaked, looking away.

Logan smiled, "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

"No, it's fine..." Carlos said staring at his hands.

An awkward silence began to settle between the two. Carlos looked at the clock.

9:25 PM

_Say something. It's the least you can do._

Logan shifted his feet and looked down, trying to find something to say to the battered boy without bringing up the obvious predicament.

Still not meeting his eyes, Carlos asked, "How long have you been here?"

Logan raised his gaze, "Hm... I think it was around one."

_So he's been here for 8 hours?_

"Oh..."

Carlos grew silent again, and Logan smiled uncomfortably.

"Um... Do you want me to leave?" Logan asked.

Carlos looked up to meet his eyes, "You don't have to stay if you don't want to... "

Logan stared at the Latino's face. One eye was black and swelled shut, while the other looked at him with a gaze that was years beyond his actual age. He tried to find some sort of life in that eye, but all he saw was a sad darkness. Carlos began to get uneasy by the analyzing boy and looked at his hands again.

"Do you want to be alone?"

Memories of sitting alone in solitude at school began to flood his mind. Day after day, he walked around campus alone. No one talked to him. He was isolated in all his classes and the teachers paid him no heed. The dull, familiar pain of loneliness surfaced and he knew the answer to the question. He didn't want to inconvenience the spiky-haired brunette any longer by making him stay, but he couldn't bear being alone any longer. Especially in his current situation.

"No..." Carlos said softly, "Can you stay?... Please?"

Logan gave him a kind smile and nodded. He grabbed the chair he was sleeping in a few minutes before and dragged it next to Carlos' bed.

As he watched the boy move furniture, Carlos felt a twinge of warmth run through his body.

_He's actually going to stay? Someone cares?_

Carlos felt relief and yawned as Logan settled down next to him, feeling sleep creep up on him.

"I'll stay with you through the night." Logan said, "You won't have to be alone tonight." He reached forward and gave the Latino's hand a quick squeeze.

Carlos was filled with so much warmth and emotion, he almost started to tear.

_No one has ever said that to me before._

Carlos, before drifting off to sleep he gave Logan a misty look, "Thank you."

The last thing he saw was a warm, almost loving, smile.

Then he was asleep.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? Do you like it? How was the writing? Please leave a review! It lets me know how I can improve and imspires me to write faster. Thank you for your time guys :)


	2. Esto Les Digo

**A/N: **Hey guys! So I got inspiration for this chapter from a song I heard at a choir festival in October named, Esto Les Digo by Kinley Lange. If you want to hear the beautiful song that inspired this chapter go to .com/watch?v=ijBVf8N7ydQ&list=FLFCG-Ry3FOUspsV6Cr9dCmg&index=2&feature=plpp_video to hear it I highly suggest it so you might be able to get a feel as to what I was trying to express. Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I haven't had time to reply to you all individually, but I want to let you know that I appreciate your time. And thank you for making this my most successful story yet :)

Edit: So, I've gotten a lot of concern over the Spanish in the beginning. I just wanted to let you know that for those of you that got turned off by that, that I'm sorry. I was trying something new and I guess it didn't work :)

* * *

He was laying down. His eyes were closed. His arms, legs, and cheek rested on something soft and ever so slightly prickly. A cool breeze wafted over him, caressing his exposed cheek. What he finally determined was grass, gently tickled his exposed skin as the breeze continued to flow over him.

Carlos slowly opened his eyes. He was laying down on a hillside in the middle of an open field in the middle of the night. The moon shone brightly and countless stars illuminated the night sky. A multitude of fireflies floated in the air lazily, acting like small beacons of light. All was at peace.

Carlos smiled at the feeling that seemed so foreign to him. Here there was no fear. No danger. Nothing. Just peace and another strange feeling that swelled his heart and made him want to tear. Warmth flooded his body almost as if an ethereal arm was holding him close and protecting him. The feeling was completely unknown to the boy. He had never before felt anything like this. He couldn't stop smiling. The feeling was love.

He slowly got up from his position and stood up to get a better look at what was at the top of the hill. A lone tree stood at the very top, illuminated by a large culmination of the fireflies. As Carlos climbed the hill and approached the tree, his heart swelled more and more and the smile on his face kept growing. He did not want this feeling to stop. His climb took on a run as he wanted to know why the tree was making him feel this way. As he got closer, the fireflies in the meadow gathered around him, almost as if to urge him forward to the tree.

When he reached the tree at the top of the hill he took a moment to admire it. The tree was completely enveloped by fireflies and emanated a warm glow. The only word he could think of to describe the image was beauty. But that did the tree no justice.

Carlos reached out to touch the trunk of the tree and the fireflies gathered at a spot a few feet away from where he was standing. He drew back his hand and looked with curiosity at the behavior of the fireflies. They flew in gentle circles over and over again, until suddenly, a man appeared in the middle of the light orbs. He was dressed in white and smiled warmly at the Latino. Carlos felt an overwhelming surge of warmth and his heart swelled to the point where he thought it would burst out of his chest. Tears slowly fell down his face as he was overwhelmed with happiness.

"Mi hijo..." The man said

Carlos attempted to wipe his eyes as the tears still came streaming down his face.

"¿Who are you?" The boy asked in his most comfortable tongue.

"I am your Father."

_¿He's my father? _The boy thought to himself.

"Yes, My son. The Father who has created you in My image."

Suddenly, he realized who the man who stood before him was, "¿Are you... God?"

The man's smile grew, "Yes."

The sweet feeling that he had been overcome with started to ebb and anger began to creep into his heart.

"If you're God, ¿Where were you when I needed you most?" Carlos demanded

The man who Carlos realized was God replied, "I never left you."

"Then ¿why did you let the other students beat me up? ¿Why did you let my parents die?" His voice rose as years of pain, sadness, and anger boiled to the surface, "¡¿WHY DID YOU MAKE ME IF YOU WERE JUST GOING TO TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME? ¡¿WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME G-..."

His frustration finally overcame him and his tears turned to those of sorrow as he fell to his knees and broke down in tears. He tried to close the gates, but they refused to close. Every single pain, every single heartbreak, every single sadness came rushing out like a flood and could not be stopped. His heart ached and cried out as the crushing loneliness he was used to returned and all he could feel was bleak despair.

Without warning, he felt a hand rest on the top of his head. Carlos opened his eyes and saw the fireflies surrounding him, lighting up his skin and covering him with a comforting light. The feeling of love returned followed by comfort.

"My child, I would never give you something you could not handle. The events in your life prepare you and make you the person you are meant to be. I know you hurt now, but ¿can you trust in me?"

Carlos looked up at God's face and nodded slowly, unsure, but full-heartedly trusting in the comforting words of the Man who stood in front him.

The Man smiled, "Then know that I will always be with you. For when you only see one set of footsteps in the sand, I will have carried you when you could not stand. I love you Carlitos."

The fireflies encircled the Man once again and He stepped back. Then He was gone.

Carlos' gaze lingered on the empty spot in front of him for a little while longer. Then he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him and he lay back down on the grass and closed his eyes.

The steady beeping sound of a heart monitor slowly woke him. He tried to open both his eyes but one was still swelled shut. The light that streamed in from the window shone harshly into his eye. He groaned and tried to use his hands to shield his eye from the sun.

"Hm...?" A tired voice next to him uttered.

Carlos looked to the side and saw that someone was sitting next to his bed, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up. Like before, he had a jacket draped over him as a blanket to keep himself warm. Carlos looked at the clock and read: 8:15.

"Oh, sorry I woke you up..." Carlos muttered.

Logan stretched his back and yawned casting shadows on the Latino and creating temporary shade for him.

"It's okay, I'm usually awake at this time anyway." Logan said, giving Carlos a friendly smile.

Seeing that smile stirred something within Carlos. He didn't know what it was, but it felt strange and warm. He felt heat slowly creep up his face as he continued to stare.

"I- Um... Thank you for staying with me." Carlos thanked, averting his gaze.

"It was nothing," Logan replied, "I wanted to make sure you're okay. By the way, the hospital couldn't find your parents, do you know where they might be?"

Mamá... Papá...

"My parents... won't be here."

Logan gave him a quizzical look, "Of course they will. I'm sure they're worried sick."

Carlos stared at his hands, "Can you close the blinds? It's a little bright."

The brunette nodded and got up to close the blinds. The bright room was then darkened. Light receded from the walls and shade crept forward leaving small pockets of light where there were holes in the shade.

Carlos sighed and immediately regretted his decision when a sharp pain shot through his mid-section. He took a small intake of breath in response to the pain, catching Logan's attention.

The taller boy walked quickly to Carlos' bed, "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Carlos winced as the pain slowly subsided, "It's nothing."

"Don't strain yourself, you have a few cracked ribs." Logan said while sitting down, "They're taking you to surgery in a few hours."

Carlos' face fell. "I... I can't afford surgery."

"It's okay, I'm sure your parents' health insurance will cov-"

"My parents are dead."

Logan stopped mid-sentence, shocked at the statement. An uncomfortable silence settled within the room with the exception of the medical equipment. Carlos stared blankly ahead at the door as he tried to figure out how to deal with surgery.

" I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Logan said apologetically, deeply regretting bringing up his parents.

Carlos turned to look at Logan. His brown eyes were filled with sympathy for the Latino and something else Carlos could not place was beginning to show in Logan's eyes.

"It's not your fault. No one has ever talked to me, how could you know?" Carlos reasoned.

Logan looked at the ground with guilt. Before he could say anything, the door opened and a nurse walked in.

"Mr. Garcia? We have a surgery room prepped and ready for you. Are you ready?"

Carlos looked at the nurse, "I don't need it."

The nurse looked at him in bewilderment, "Mr. Garcia, your cracked ribs have shifted. If you do not let us reset it soon, you will have problems for the rest of your life."

_But I can't afford it._

"I-"

"He's a little delirious from the concussion ma'am" Logan said, "He's ready, go ahead and go through with the procedure."

The nurse nodded and began to wheel Carlos out of the room with Logan following right beside them.

Carlos' eyes widened and fear began to rush through him, "Logan, I can't afford this!"

Logan took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, "I'll pay for it and you can pay me back some other way."

"What...?" Carlos stared at the brunette with his good eye, "I can't pay you back!"

"It's okay, we'll figure something out, you just have to worry about getting better."

Logan began to slow down as they approached the operating room and let the nurse wheel Carlos in.

"Wait, Logan! I can't-!" He was cut off as the doors to the operating room shut.

Logan smiled and walked away from the room and out of the hospital. He took out his phone and called a number.

"Hi, Mom. I'm gonna need some extra money. Yes. Yeah. Well, winter vacation is coming and I wanted to spend some time in Hawaii or something. Yes. How much?" Logan took out the folded piece of paper the doctor handed him while Carlos was still unconscious. "It looks around $3,400 right now. Yeah, just for the flight and the car. Can you put it in my account? No, it's okay, I'll let you know if I need some more. Thanks, Mom. I love you too. Bye."

Logan ended his conversation and walked back into the hospital. He went up to the front counter and spoke with the nurse.

"May I help you?" she asked.

Logan smiled and handed her the medical bill, "Yes, I would like to pay for Carlos Garcia's surgery and stay."

She looked up at him through her glasses in disbelief, "Young man, you do realize how much this is right?"

Logan nodded and handed her a card, "Yes, but I want to help my friend out."

The nurse shook her head and filed all the paperwork to get the procedure covered. He signed all the papers he needed to sign and left the front counter to grab his books from Carlos' room. He took them to the waiting room outside the operating room and attempted to study for his upcoming AP mid-terms.

Within a half hour, he had fallen asleep and a rosary hung from his right hand.

* * *

**A/N: **If you I made any mistakes with the spanish please tell me!

These are the words that inspired me:

_Esto les digo, _'This I say to you,

_si dos de ustedes se ponen,_ if two of you are put,

_se ponen de acuerdo aquí en, _are put in accord here in,

_en la tierra para pedir, _in the earth to ask,

_pedir algo en oración, _to ask anything in prayer,

_mi padre que está en el cielo, _my Father which is in heaven,

_se lo dará. _will give it to you.

_Porque donde dos o tres se reúnen en mi nombre, _Because where two or three are gathered in my name,

_allí estoy yo, _there am I,

_en medio de ellos. _in the midst of them.'

Thank you for reading and please review :)


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